I’m so bummed! I’ve been under the weather lately, dealing with a virus that surfaces from time to time. It is usually dormant, but comes to life every once in awhile.
Ugh. I hate being sick. As you know, as a mom life goes on even when we’re sick!
I’ve been doing all that I can do to heal my body. I’ve added herbs, extra supplements, and working on getting the extra rest I need. I’m determined to rid my body of this virus once and for all!
In the past, whenever I needed glowing, clearer skin, I would make this delicious green smoothie, which is totally different from the smoothie I drink on a daily basis (that one contains greens, fruit, and superfoods).
Great skin is really just one of the amazing benefits of this green drink, and I realized it was perfect to help get me on my way back to good health.
Green smoothies, in general, are a great way to increase your intake of vegetables and fruits, especially greens, and are easy to digest and absorb the nutrients. These two reasons are exactly why I chose to drink a green smoothie on most days!
The recipe below is a great way to gently detox your liver and kidneys. If you consume this smoothie on most days, in addition to glowing, clearer skin, and a gentle liver & kidney detox, you can enjoy the benefits of:
- natural weight loss
- increased fiber intake
- better digestion
- mental clarity
- reduced cravings
- increased energy
- reduction in other health complaints.
I make this daily, in the morning before breakfast and wait at least 20 minutes before eating anything else. My morning routine looks line this: warm lemon water with cayenne as soon as possible after waking (since I make it after my shower, I make sure I have a glass of water first thing upon waking). About 30 minutes later I make my green detox smoothie, then after I get home from taking the kids to school, I have a light breakfast. Usually I’m not too hungry since I’ve already had my green detox smoothie.
You can also try it as a mid-morning or afternoon snack. 😉
I hope you give this smoothie a try! It’s actually very tasty and refreshing. Even my 8 year old likes it! {Gotta start ‘em young!}
Refreshing Green Detox Smoothie
Serves: 1
Prep time: 5 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- handful of greens (spinach, kale and/or chard)
- half of a cucumber (about 4 inches)
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 apple, preferably red
- 1/2 cup parsley and/or cilantro (I use both and pull off a handful)
- 1 cup filtered water
DIRECTIONS
- Wash the produce.
- Cut each ingredient into smaller pieces. No need to cut fine: Just so that the pieces aren’t so big so they will blend easier.
- Place all of the ingredients in a high speed blender.
- Blend on low until the large pieces of vegetables and fruit are smaller, then increase the speed to high.
- Blend until ingredients are liquid.
- Pour into a tall glass or a blender bottle when you’re on the go.
- Enoy!
TIPS
You can vary it by adding different greens or herbs. Just keep the base celery, cucumber and an apple. Don’t add too many different things (meaning don’t pack everything under the sun in!) otherwise it will decrease the detoxing benefits of the celery, cucumber and apple.
A high speed blender works best. You can use a regular blender but you’ll need to blend a little longer and it may not be as smooth.
Use organic ingredients when possible.
Did you give this recipe a try? If so, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comments below!
oxo,
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